Bonnie Morrissey, fitness expert and creator of Bonnie's Bootcamp, which is offered throughout MetroWest, blogs about working out, what to eat, when to eat, and how to live a happier and healthier life. Her no-nonsense, 'No More Excuses' approach
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Bonnie Morrissey, fitness expert and creator of Bonnie's Bootcamp, which is offered throughout MetroWest, blogs about working out, what to eat, when to eat, and how to live a happier and healthier life. Her no-nonsense, 'No More Excuses' approach will motivate you to get off the couch, get moving, and make a positive change in your life. Bonnie is also the owner of Diet Doc Metrowest, a 1-on-1 nutrition coaching program that specializes in permanent weight loss and total body transformation. Stay tuned for workout and nutrition tips, Bootcamp-approved recipes, and a big dose of inspiration to the tune of, 'You Have the Power to Change Your Body and Change Your Life.'

The weekend is here, and for many people that brings along a huge sigh of relief...not only that you may not have to work, but also because you equate the weekends with socializing, food, and drinks, and you can kind of let yourself go a bit.

It's all fine and good to let yourself "relax" a bit on the weekends from your monday-friday food and exercise regimen, but here are 5 tips to help you not blow all of your hard work you've put in during the week.

5 WEEKEND TIPS TO NOT BLOW IT

Get up early and exercise. Not only will it set you up to eat healthy foods and drink water, you'll burn some extra calories to counteract the extra ones you are likely to ingest over the weekend.

Stick to your healthy eating food plan as best as you can. Throw in some "splurges" here and there, but do not make each meal a major food fest. For example, if you know you're going out to dinner, make a conscious effort to eat lots of vegetables and protein during the day to allow for some extra calories, carbs, and fat at dinner.

Choose your "splurges" wisely. If you're going out to eat, mentally plan where you are going to add in extra calories, carbs, and fat. Are you a bread lover and can not wait for the warm bread basket to hit the table? Do you love fried calamari? Are you a sweets persons and can't wait to sink your teeth into a big piece of chocolate cake with frosting (like me)? Whatever it is, eat in moderation. I always save up my extra calories for dessert and will totally forgo the fried apps and bread. Calories add up very quickly, so just be aware of the portions you are eating. If you can have just a few bites of each thing and be done with it, go for it, but like I said, just be aware of the amounts of foods you are ingesting because calories do add up very quickly, and before you know it, you've eaten an extra 2000 calories (yikes!).

Don't blow your calories on cocktails. No, I'm not saying do not have a cocktail, so you can calm down. What I am saying is that you shouldn't blow your calories on them, and that means staying away from the drinks with sugary syrups that can pack in hundreds of calories and extra sugar in a single cocktail, like margaritas, frozen daquiris, pina coladas, sangria, flavored martinis, gin and tonic, etc. A better option is a glass wine, or a vodka seltzer with a fresh lime, or a "skinny margarita," (tequila, seltzer, fresh squeezed lime juice, and a tiny splash of fresh juice if you need a little sweetener) that are all in the 100-125 calorie range per drink, as opposed to 250+. In addition to not wanting to add in lots of extra calories and sugar from cocktails, the alcohol with quickly turn off any "willpower" you may have around food, so you may all of a sudden be eating a large pizza and not even realizing what you're doing. So now you're intaking LOTS of extra calories, and your most likely just going to go to sleep. Bottom line-choose lower calorie cocktails, and don't drink too much so that you lose control over your food choices.

If you blow it, get over it. If you have a big splurge meal on Saturday nite and wake up Sunday morning feeling physically gross and exhausted, DO NOT GIVE IN TO YOUR BAGEL CRAVING! It's time to get back on track with healthy eating, and not continue with your carb overloading. Drink lots of water and get back on track with nutrient dense food choices, like scrambled eggs and toast, a veggie omelet, or a protein smoothie.

Have a great weekend and I hope that you find these tips helpful. You've worked too hard to constantly be taking 2 steps forward and 2 steps back...let's keep moving forward and making progress towards achieving your weight loss goals!